Valve-control mechanism



Aug. 25, 1925. 1,551,505*

F. T. MARTIN VALVE CONTROL MECHANISM vFiled Feb. 4. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet l film* *d/.W v l .TORNE Ys Aug. 25, 1925. 1,551,505` F. T. MARTIN VALVE CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Feb. 4, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' ZT'I lIZ BY oRNEYs` A155125 rszs. 1,551,505

' F. T. MARTIN VALVE CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Feb. 4. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 lli lill: l,

nlm'il [un LL* w INVENToR:

Eederzch T-Marzm,

Patented Aug. l25, 19275. 'Y y STA. PATENT oFF-ica,

`iamtnnrticnz THOMAS MARTIN, or MERIoNV'PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNO'R or ONE-HALF To JOHN J. GALLAGHER 0F MEBION, rE'NNsYLvANIA; -A

vALV-oon'rnon MEoHh'NI'sM.

Application filed February 4, i924. serial' No'. ssai''s".

To alll w/tofn' t may' concern.' h

' Be it known that I, FREDERICK T. MAR- 'ii'ng a' subject of Great Britain, residing in lSIerion,` county of Montgomery, State of Pennsylvania', have i vented certain new andnseful Improvements in ValvelControl Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference being had' to the accompanying drawings."

This iiiveiiti'ony relatesftoA mechanism i"n' c'ludi'g a valve and yai Ilockcontrol therefor, and ymore particularly tomechanism capable of being4 used forq example in connection with fuel supply systems automobiles for the 'purpose` et intercepting flow of fuel `riferiti the" storage tank to the carbureter when'tl'ievehicleis left unattended', to pre- :vent theft or unauthorized operation.

still morespecific terms, 'the invention is concerned with a valve' 'control mechanism involving ai lock operative on the permuta- "tioiip`ri'nci`p'le-l' y y AThel mainobject of lmy invention is to rovide an1 rganizationyof the v'kind reerred tovwhieh is cha'iacteri/Zed b'y eXtren'ie simplicity botl'ias to' construction 'and' 0peration, and which will 'prove' sturdy and thoroughlyV reliable inlong continued usage, notwithstanding careless -or rough Vmanipu- `lation.y 1

` l -@ther objects and attendant advantages of this invention will `become readily apparent from the detailed de's'criptionwhi'ch follows of a typ-ical embodiment thereof, its

VY@scope being clearly' deiined by theappended `claims.

,Y Inthe drawings, Fig. VI longitudinal sectional View of an automobile fuel tankv equippedy with avalve con- ,trolA mechanism typical of' -this invention.

y lFig. II .is a'view of the 'mechanism' by itself'ona larger scale, with certaingportions Vshown in plan and others in section.

Fig. III is vanfaXial sectional' View along dfiver-sely stagggered planes through the lock forming a part of the organization.

y xIV'is an inverted plan of the lock withthe lower cover m'eiiibery removed as V,indicatedA by the arrows IV-IV in FigsLvI and'IIIo., l

Fig. V isa topv plan ofthe lock with the actuating. meri'ibe'r'V and the coordinating dial removed to exposefthepermutation members .A whereby. the locking is controlled.`

, Figl VI is a horizontal sectional View isa fragmentary Y l l IInterposedY in the branch 3 is a valve 4 i whose' thro/ugh yorifice 5' is controlled .a

taken indicated the arrWs-`VI'-VI in rtg. in: Showing' tow tho component ports of the lock are positioned when' the Valve is.

open. Y' l l Y Fig. VII is a ysimilarsectioi'ial View taken on a lowerl plairefas2 indi-c' VIIJLVII in Fig. III.

Fig.y VIII is a p perspective view' of the' bine'd' cam"` and rig; X 'it o' portpootivov'iow or tiro tratt or va1vo=opototing-mofootr of ylook,

. Figari; aou Xii oro perspective vioiv'vsA respectively yof. the two ber'so'f'the lock. Y y .Y

Figo; X111, XIV,y ,XV latjsoctioai rieti/sl oijmiiartto'ri'g. Vi showing ouoo'essfo tions towhjioh thor varioto pargtovof' `tho ook. aro moved; to 4effect oo'upiingrof tio" tomato;

.tiohffhmborsond'-tho shaft or valve-operati'fle" member; 4'

Figs; xvii Xvi ato illustrati-ooo stoner to the prteur-og', growing: tiro not 'in Whitt uooou'piiog io rfoo'tooi' io' .trio

ovoot ojrmo'v'emontf of oitirorl of the `pernottation members beyond the? predetermined the 'numeral l indicates, comprehensive y,

the storage' vtank fr'in which the fuel; is

ated by thearrows Apotmuttt'ioio mooi- 'ofthev tank' -1"wi`thal branch-3"that extends into Vvclose:.p roxii'nity" tothe tank bottoni.

vtransversely slidable plunger- 6' housed for guidance within 'a casing generally' Yindicated at v7, and whose movements are cnftr'olled by a lock comprehensively vdesig'g- 'n natedv by thenumera'l 8, the'connectionsbetween'-the plunger easing`r 7 and" saidvyl'ok extending through an interveningtube 9.

The details ofthe valveft will V`best understood by referente to' lFig. I I trom whioii it W117i to noto-dj that ,the hood; ortho plunger Gais' disposedin thetubular end ios portion' 1,0 of the casing" 7, aridfthatv saidI i ilo other end part 15 of the casing 7. The members 1() and 15 are screw-threaded as shown to engage an intermediate casing part 16. This construction permits longitudinal adjustment of the casing 7 as may be required during installation of the organization in the tank 1. Jam nuts 17 adapted to be tightened against the opposite ends of the intermediate guide casing part 16, maintain it and the companion parts 10 and 15 in the desired adjusted positions. rlhe tube 9, previously referred to, is threaded at one end into the member 15, and at its opposite end to a neck projection 18 of the lock housing, and serves as a guide for a rod 19 forming an axial extension of the valve plunger 6.

Coming now to an examination of the lock 8 and referring more particularly to Figs. III and XI inclusive, the housing of the same is designated by the numeral 20, said housing being cylindrical in conguration and reduced somewhat in diameter at its lower end as indicated at 21. The main or larger portion of the housing is hollow down to a level 22 and the reduced portion 21 recessed to a level 23 affording cavities for accommodating the various movable parts of the lock which will presently be described.

.The diaphragm or portion intervening between the surfaces 22-23 is bored axially as at 24 to receive a central shaft 25 which for convenience of nomenclature l will term the valve operating member of the lock 8, said shaft having affixed to its lower end a lever arm 26 which is connected by a flexible cable or the like 27, to the en d of the rod extension 19 of the valve member 6. 'l he lever arm 26, it will be observed, is disposed in the lower cavity of the lock housing 20, and in order to permit of its adjustment relative to the shaft 25, has an upstanding pin 23, engageable in any one of a circular series of apertures 29 in the face of an annular shoulder near the bottom end of the said shaft. This lever arm 26 is held against displacement by a nut 30 screwed upon the reduced axial prolongation 31 of the shaft 25 which receives the hub portion of said lever. A spring 26a appropriately anchored in the lower cavity 23 of casing 2O is operative upon lever 26 to assist the spring 13 in shifting the valve plunger 6 to closed position when said lever is released by the lock 8.

Within the upper cavity 22 of the casing 20 and concentrically mounted for free and independent rotation about the shaft 25 are a pair of permutation members 32, 33 which are adapted to be moved in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows in Fig. V. As shown, these permutation members 32, 33 are in the form of sleeves, one fitting within the other, the inner one 32 of the pair being axially recessed asat 34 for engagement by a head 35 at the topl of the shaft 25 whereby it is retained against displacement in the assemblage. The lower end of the sleeve 32 is reduced considerably as shown at 36, and this reduced portion has an aperture at one side as best shown at 37 in Fig. XI. By rotation of the sleeve 32, the aperture 37 may be brought into registry with a notch 33 in the side of the shaft 25 for a purpose which will be explained later. Adjacent the opening 37, the sleeve 32 is further provided with a cam projection 39 Ywhich will again be referred to hereinafter. The outer permutation meinber 33 has a working lit circumferentially within the main cavity 22 of the housing 20 and carries, in a hollow in its lower end, means for engaging the operating shaft 25, said means being in the form of a finger 40 which is fulcruined on a stud 42 and yieldingly pressed inward toward said shaft 25 by a spring 43, see Fig. Vl of the drawings. Mounted to the lower side of the linger 40 is a roller 45 designed to be acted upon by the cam projection 39 of the inner permutation member 32 and also by a cam ridge 46 upstanding from a plate 47 which is seated against and stationary within the bottom of the main cavity 22 of the housing 20. rlhe cam ridge 46 is concentric with the axis of the shaft 25 and substantially semi-circular in extent with an inclined cani slope 48 at one end. Associated with the cam ridge 46 is a guard 49, which, when the end of finger 40 is engaged within the notch 33 of the shaft 25, maintains the inter-lock for limited combined movement of parts 32, 33 and 25 through cooperation with the roller but from Fig. Xlll it will be noted that the roller normally rides on the outside of the ridge 46 as well as on the outside of the guard 49. This guard 49 is preferably formed as an integral part of the plate 47 and is therefore fixed relative to the cani ridge 46.

Referring now more particularly to Figs.

V and'Xl it will be observed that the inner permutation member or sleeve 32 has in its upper face a series of holes 50 (in this instance twelve in number) into one of which is placed a spring pressed plunger or tumbler 51, while the outer permutation member or sleeve 33, (Fig. XII) likewise has a circle of holes 52, (preferably twice thenumber or twenty-four) into one of which is placed a plunger er tumbler 53. Mounted over the permutation members 32, 33 for inde tendent rotation is an actuating member of inverted cup configuration and having an upstanding manipulating knob 56. The depending circumferential apron or flange 57 of the member 55 is received within an annular space resulting from counterrecessing the casing as at 58, and rests on the shoulder incidentally formed. The actuator 55 is held in place within the casing 20 by screws 59 which engage a groove 60 surrounding the apron or ffa'nge'- 57j, and its horizontal internal face, is 'providedI with a pair ,of recesses 61v and; 62 arranged side by side and allocated directly overv the plungers or tumblers 5l and' 53' 'of the permutation members 33.k These recesses 6'1, 62 are abruptly shouldered as shown at 63, 64, the shoulders lying in a common radial line and approached" through oppositel'y inclined' surfaces. As a result ofi this: construction' the permutation members32; 33`m`a-y be selectively actuated through`Y cooperation of thev re-l cesses 611 and 62 with the tumblerslr and 53 depending upon which direction the actuating, member 'isturned.` Thus, when the actuating member 55 isV turned'` clockwise, the. outerv permutation member 33 follows in the directionof' the' arrow thereon in Fig.

V, and when rotated in th'e counter or opposite` direction,the inner permutation member SEZfo'll'owsin thedirection of the arrow in the same illustration1- Asian aid to make the shiftingsofthe actuatingmember 55 in accordance with the permutationcombination predetermined! upon 'as hereinafter 1' noted`, said me'mb'er is' provided with an index `or pointer for cooperationf with ra Vnunibered dial 6'6" securediover 'a shoulder 67? about the top ofthe' lock housing 20,' by

A subsequently acted upon;

means 'of'tie rods' 68 which connect with a if cover plate 69"v closing' the lower` cavity of Seidl' ,Casing-,f

Y The operation ofthe' mechanism with rthe plungers ortumblers 5i andY 53 positioned in the permutation members 32, 3321s` shown,

is as follows.: l Y

Assumingthe parts of'l the lock' 8 to be occupying arbitrary' positions relatively as in Fig. yXIII@ "the actuator` memberv 55 is irst turned'-anti-clockwise untilits index 65 pointsto. tlie'riu'mber eight on the vdialv This movementv s'erves'to bring the plunger or tumbler fl'between the numbers nine and three ofthe' dial. 66 in' readiness to'be The actuating member 55 is next'- turned clock-wiseto` the graduation intermediate' nine and: ten" on the dia l}6' 6 thereby" engaging the tumbler 53'in its inclined recess' 62' and bringingithe finger 4U totliepo'sit'ion shown in' Fig. XIV,

in readinessto` engage the` notch v38A in the i operatingshaft 25. The actuating-'member is thereupon again turned; anti-clock-y wise' tot the number three' onftherdial 66, leavingtlie parts 'just reterredftoinu thefposi-v t'io'ns.menti'o1ied, but inv the course ofitsy movement' endaging that plunger or tumbler 5,11 in. itlsfnotch or recess G3i and Carryingthe inner permutation memberA 32'V Varounfl t0' the? position shown. iliFigLwXVl withjthe aper-l turek 37' in direct Iregistry with the notch" 38 in' the shaft" Y The fingerAO-is theref`r upon", under urgence yof' the". spring 'r' o rci'V4 bly projected through; e`erifff-37'ehdj intoth'e notch'3`8'of-"tlie'shaftf25. Thefaetu-f:

providedl witlij dependingI pins-l 7U which are disposed at diametrically'oppositepointsso as to be' registerablewitli anyf pair ofi corre sponding apertures-71 of the circular seriesA in: the horizontal diaphragmor partition of maintain such coupling" ytor -limited'combined movement of the aforesaid: parts. r As a result of the movement imparted tothe sha-'tt 25,'the arm 26' at its lower end draws upon 'the valve member 6 against the action 'or' thespring 13, thereby opening the port through'theyalve-i for passage of the fuel. Aslong asV lock 8'- remains set as shownin Fig. VI, fuel'y canl flow continuously from the storage tank l`v to the carburetoriof the automobile in the usual'x or normali way. A slight "moyement either of the part 32 or 3'3`from the 'nat positions of Figs: 'V and through turning ofthe actuator member 5 5 in one or the other direction williresultV Y in immediateclosing of thejvalfve 4*'. For

example, in case thel permutationmember 33 ist'urrledI as indicated 'by the -a'rrow'in. Fig.v XVII; the roller 495'A en.l fngero, s'imrnediately engagedV by incline* 4 8? of' the clam ridge 46" and' s aid finger thereby withdrawn fromI the' notchl 38l in the operating shaft 215;r Likewise, shiftingV of-`thepermuta tion member'v 32 in the-opposite direction as indicated in. willi result the "engagement of its canrp'ro'jectien 39 with'- the roller-'45 on' the finger 40, thereby to withl draw the latter from the shaft 25: 4The permutation combination can, of course, be changed at will` by" diversified" positioning of the tumblers over the wide range 'afforded throughl 'proyision' offtheI4 great-:number Iof f apertures orlioles in the'respective permutation members 32, In 'order t'o permit shifting' of the-platee? accordance-with the: cha-nge of combinations, said"jplat'er is the' lock housing' 20.'

lvhilelhare shown and described my invention asfpart-icul'arly advantageou'slin connection withi'uel supply systemsjof automobiles, it is obvious; that` it maybe otherwise employed withoutde'epalrtingI from the; spirit? thereof@ Having thus ,desc'ribedl-myjinie'ntiom IV comprising permuta't-io'iiv members lfor con-" with` c'liifer's'elyly inclinedl shouldered? recesses permitting selection between the 'tumbler-s of said permutation members.

2. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising a valve operating member, a. cylindric permutation member with means adapted to engage the valve operating member, and an associate inter-fitting permutation member controlling coupling of the engaging means with the valve operating member.

3. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising a valve operating member, a cylindric movable permutation member with means adapted to engage the valve operating member, and an associate interfitting permutation member movable oppositely to the first permutation member to control coupling of the engaging means with the valve operating member.

4. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising a valve operating member, a rotatable cylindric permutation member with means adapted to engage the valve operating member, and an associate interfitting permutation member rotatable oppositely to the first permutation member to control coupling of the engaging means with the valve operating member'.

5. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising a valve operating member, a cylindric permutation member capable of being coupled with the valve operating member, and an associate interfitted permutation member controlling such coupling.

6. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising a valve operating member, a cylindric permutation member carrying a finger' yieldingly urged toward the valve operating member, and an associate interfitted permutation member controlling access of the finger to the valve operating member.

7. rIghe combination with a valve, of a lock comprising a valve operating member, a permutation member carrying a finger yieldingly urged toward the valve operating member, and an associated r,permutation member with an aperture permitting access of said finger tothe valve operating member.

8. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising a valve operating shaft, a pair of permutation members in the form of sleeves concentrically mounted for independent rotation on the shaft, the outer sleeve carrying a finger yieldingly urged toward the shaft, and the inner sleeve having an aperture controlling access of the finger to the shaft.

9. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising an operating shaft, a pair of permutation members in the form of sleeves concentrically mounted for independent rotation in opposite directions on the shaft, the outer sleeve carrying a finger urged toward the shaft, and the inner sleeve having an aperture controlling access of the finger to the shaft.

l0. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising an operating member, and a number of associated permutation members adapted to be coupled for movement in concert to actuate the operating member, means determining the limit of the conce1-ted movement, and means for immediately uncoupling said members when such movement is exceeded.

11. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising an operating member with a notch, a permutation member carrying a spring pressed finger adapted to be brought into registry with the notch, an interposed permutation member with an aperture adapted to be registered with the notch of the operating member to permit access of the finger to said notch thereby to couple said operating member and the permutation members for movement in concert, and means determining the limit of such concerted movement and for withdrawing the finger when such movement is exceeded.

12. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising an operating member with a notch, a permutation member carrying a spring pressed finger adapted to be brought into registry with the notch, an associate permutation member movable in a direction opposite to the first, having an aperture permitting access of the finger to the notch of the operating member therebyV to couple said operating member and the permutationV members for limited movement in concert, and means for immediately withdrawing the finger when such movement is exceeded.

13. The combination with a valve, of .a lock comprising an operating member with a notch, a permutation member carryinga spring pressed finger adapted to be brought into registry with the notch, an associate permutation member movable in a direction opposite to the first, having an aperture permitting access of the finger to the notch of the operating member thereby to couple said operating member and the permutation members for limited movement in concert, and means for immediately withdrawing the finger upon shifting of either permutation member beyond the limit of the concerted movement.

11i. The combination with a valve, of a lock comprising an operating member havi-ng a notch, a permutation member carrying a spring pressed finger adapted to be brought into registry with the notch, an associate permutation member movable in a the finger when the permutation member carrying the same is independently moved, and a cam carried by the apertured permutation member to Withdraw the finger When` said member is independently moved in the opposite direction. f

l5. The combination with a valve, lock comprising an operating member having notch, a permutation member carrying a spring pressed `inger adapted to be brought into registry With the notclnan asf sociate permutation member movable in a direction oppositethe first, having an aperture permitting access of the linger to the recess of the operating member thereby to couple said operating member and the permutation members for limitedY movement in coneertra guard operative upon the finger to l signed my name at Philadelphia,-Pennsyl A Vania, this lst day of February, .1924. i FREDERICK THOMAS MARTIN. 

